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Trade facilitation

After several years of exploratory work, WTO Members formally agreed to launch negotiations on trade facilitation in July 2004, on the basis of modalities contained in Annex D of the so-called “July package”. Under this mandate, Members are directed to clarify and improve GATT Article V (Freedom of Transit), Article VIII (Fees and Formalities connected with Importation and Exportation), and Article X (Publication and Administration of Trade Regulations). The negotiations also aim to enhance technical assistance and capacity building in this area and to improve effective cooperation between customs and other appropriate authorities on trade facilitation and customs compliance issues. > More

> Trade facilitation negotiations
> Negotiations documents

> Consult the guide to downloading files.

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VIDEOS

News back to top

Introduction back to top

Brief information on trade facilitation
links to the trade facilitation section of the WTO Guide “Understanding the WTO”.

The mandate back to top

Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration

The July 2004 package (WT/L/579):
The mandate for these negotiations is set out in Annex D of that decision (“Modalities for Negotiations on Trade Facilitation”).
> Explanation
> Text of Annex D

> Doha Ministerial Declaration, November 14, 2001, item 27

Singapore Ministerial Declaration December 13, 1996 (see item 22) (WT/MIN(96)/DEC)
> Browse text
> download

Negotiations on Trade Facilitation back to top

> The Launching of negotiations on trade facilitation

> Negotiation documents: all documents pertaining to the negotiations (legal framework, WTO Member proposals, minutes of meetings, etc.)

> Current Chairperson

Implementation-Related Reports and Symposium Materials

Case studies and Reports on Trade Facilitation Implementation
Practical Experience of Implementing Trade Facilitation Reforms, Including Their Costs and Benefits
- Seoul Symposium on Trade Facilitation and the Doha Development Agenda (27-28 November 2012)
  > Program and related documents
- Trade Facilitation Conference for African Countries Nairobi, Kenya
  Symposium (13-15 November 2012)
  > Agenda with presentations
- Symposium (10-11 July 2012)
  > Agenda with presentations
- Symposium (8-9 November 2011)
  > Agenda with presentations

Technical Assistance and Capacity Building in the Context of the Negotiations back to top

Documents on Trade Facilitation back to top

Search Documents Online
Documents on Trade Facilitation bear the document code TN/TF/* for documents under the Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation, G/C/W/* and G/L/* for documents under the Council for Trade in Goods (where * takes additional values).
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> help with downloading these documents

Reports by the Chairman to the Trade Negotiations Committee (Document code TN/TF/* or G/L/* and keyword “report and Trade Facilitation”) > search
Minutes of the meetings of the Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation (searches for document code TN/TF/M/*) > search
Working documents on Trade Facilitation (Document code TN/TF/W/* or G/C/W/* and keyword “Trade Facilitation”)
> search
Working documents on Technical Assistance on Trade Facilitation (Document code TN/TF/W/* or G/C/W/* and keyword “Technical Assistance”) > search
Self Assessment Guide — Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation (searches for document code TN/TF/W/143/*) > search
Draft Consolidated Negotiating Text — Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation (searches for document code TN/TF/W/165/*) > search

You can perform more sophisticated searches from the Documents Online search facility by defining multiple search criteria such as document symbol (i.e. code number), notification number, requirement subject, trade coverage, full text search or document date.

Trade Facilitation Pre-Negotiation Work in the WTO back to top

Overview
2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998